I witness the emergence of New Zealand’s young potters, freely exploring their craft. Most importantly, I can feel how much fun they’re having with clay. Their passion is contagious, and it excites me to imagine how their work will evolve in the future, each has developed a distinct sensibility and signature style—something that is not easy to achieve.

I deeply admire these three potters and believe they will play a significant role in shaping the future of New Zealand’s ceramics scene, much like Barry Brickell, Ren Castle, or Bruce Martine. Just as Ren helped cultivate a vibrant pottery scene in West Auckland, leaving a lasting impact on the region, or as Brickell established his site as a sacred place for pottery—envisioning it as a space for generations of artists to create and thrive. Driving Creek, originally Brickell’s vision, has now become one of New Zealand’s most renowned artist residencies, a place where countless artists have passed through, producing extraordinary works.

Riccardo has been managing the site at Driving Creek for years, Scott and Thomas have spent significant time there to create their body of work for this show and few weeks prior from the exhibition, they fired at The kiln of Mirek Smíšekat at Te Horo. It is important to gather their milestones and document their achievements—landmarks of their careers—to truly celebrate their skill and contributions to the craft —these potters are carving out their own legacies.

Thomas Baker
Scott Brough
Riccardo Scott